Is the Connecticut Science Center a better choice than the Museum of Science?

Before addressing that question, let me share some of my experiences while visiting. They were nice enough to treat my family to admission, a movie, and bag of swag. (The $17/$14 price of admission is a bit less than Boston’s $21/$18.)

Image courtesy of CTSC

The Connecticut Science Center is housed a sleek and shiny, modern, new building in downtown Hartford. Sunshine pours in through the massive glass curtain wall that overlooks the banks of the Connecticut River. The building, opened in June of 2009, has easy access from I-84 and I-91 with plenty of parking in an attached garage.

For those of you looking for “green credentials”, the facility is LEED Gold Certified and obtains the majority of its energy needs from an on-site fuel cell. (The real estate guy side of me is very impressed.)

Under its green roof, the Connecticut Science Center hosts 150 hands-on exhibits, a 3D digital theater, and four educational labs. They try to address every part of science “from Physics to Forensics, Geology to Astronomy.”